page_title: Jürgen Klopp
section_title: 2017–2019: First Champions League title
hierarchical_section_title: Jürgen Klopp / Managerial career / Liverpool / 2017–2019: First Champions League title
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Команда ФК «Ливерпуль» прибыла в Киев, 2019 A cropped, straightened, and enhanced version of the original file found at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B0_%D0%A4%D0%9A_%C2%AB%D0%9B%D1%96%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%C2%BB_%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%B4%D0%BE_%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%94%D0%B2%D0%B0,_2019,_4.jpg
context_page_description: Jürgen Norbert Klopp is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Liverpool. He is regarded by many as one of the best managers in the world.
  Klopp spent most of his playing career at Mainz 05; a hard-working and physical player, he was initially deployed as a striker, before being moving to defence. Upon retiring in 2001, Klopp became the club's manager, and secured Bundesliga promotion in 2004. After suffering relegation in the 2006–07 season and unable to achieve promotion, Klopp resigned in 2008 as the club's longest-serving manager. He then became manager of Borussia Dortmund, guiding them to the Bundesliga title in 2010–11, before winning Dortmund's first-ever domestic double during a record-breaking season. Klopp also guided Dortmund to a runner-up finish in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League before leaving in 2015 as their longest-serving manager.
  Klopp was appointed manager of Liverpool in 2015. He guided the club to successive UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter to secure his first – and Liverpool's sixth – title in the competition.
context_section_description: Klopp's side finished fourth in the 2017–18 Premier League, securing qualification for the Champions League for a second consecutive season. Along with the emergence of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold as regular starters at fullback, Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren built a strong partnership at the heart of Liverpool's defence, with the Dutchman being credited for improving Liverpool's previous defensive issues. Klopp guided Liverpool to their first UEFA Champions League final since 2007 in 2018 after a 5–1 aggregate quarter-final win against eventual Premier League champions, Manchester City and a 7–6 aggregate win over Roma in the semi-final. However, Liverpool went on to lose in the final 3–1 to Real Madrid. This was Klopp's sixth defeat in seven major finals. Despite their attacking prowess, Klopp's side had been criticised for their relatively high number of goals conceded, something which Klopp sought to improve by signing defender Virgil van Dijk in the January transfer window, for a reported fee of £75 million, a world record transfer fee for a defender. In the summer transfer window, Klopp made a number of high profile signings including midfielders Naby Keïta and Fabinho, forward Xherdan Shaqiri and goalkeeper Alisson.
  Liverpool started the 2018–19 season with the best league start in the club's history, winning their first six matches. On 2 December 2018, Klopp was charged with misconduct after running onto the pitch during the Merseyside derby to celebrate Divock Origi's 96th minute winning goal with goalkeeper Alisson. Following a 2–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves), Liverpool ended Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the league. A 4–0 win against Newcastle United on Boxing Day saw Klopp's side extend their lead in the league to six points at the half-way point of the season, as well as becoming only the fourth Premier League team to be unbeaten at this stage. It was Klopp's 100th win in 181 matches as Liverpool manager. Klopp's defensive additions proved to be effective as his side equalled the all-time record for the fewest goals conceded at this stage of a top-flight season, conceding just 7 goals and keeping 12 clean sheets in 19 matches. On 29 December 2018, Klopp's side thrashed Arsenal 5–1 at Anfield, extending their unbeaten home run in the league to 31 matches, matching their best such run in the competition. The result saw them move nine points clear at the top of the league, and meant Liverpool won all 8 of their matches in December. Klopp subsequently received the Premier League Manager of the Month award for December 2018. Klopp's side finished the season as runners-up to Manchester City, to whom they suffered their only league defeat of the season. Winning all of their last nine matches, Klopp's Liverpool scored 97 points, the third-highest total in the history of the English top-division and the most points scored by a team without winning the title, and remained unbeaten at home for the second season running. Their thirty league wins matched the club record for wins in a season.
  Success eluded Klopp's Liverpool side in domestic cup competitions in 2018–19. On 26 September 2018, Klopp's side were knocked out in the third round of the League Cup after losing 2–1 to Chelsea, their first defeat of the season in all competitions, and were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 2–1 to Wolves in the third round. Despite a lack of success in domestic cup competitions, Liverpool enjoyed a vintage run in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. Klopp's side finished second in their group by virtue of goals scored to qualify for the knockout phase, before drawing German champions Bayern Munich in the round of 16. A scoreless draw in the first leg, followed by 3–1 victory in the second leg at the Allianz Arena saw Liverpool qualify for the quarter-finals. Liverpool won their quarter-final tie against Porto with an aggregate score of 6–1 to advance to the semi-finals, where Klopp's Liverpool faced tournament favourites Barcelona. After suffering a 3–0 defeat at the Nou Camp, 
caption: Klopp led Liverpool to consecutive UEFA Champions League finals in 2018 and 2019, winning the latter against Tottenham Hotspur.
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